The Rapture
by Justa Little Puppy
Summary: The world has changed. Everything has been divided, humanity has turned on humanity, and no one is left unscathed. It's a battle, no, a war every single day to survive on the mad land they call a home. No one wanted this. But the only way to be saved is to be thought 'worthy' of Rapture by those in the sky. Some don't wait. (This summary SUCKS butImtirednowso -.- )


**Puppy's Post It: Despite the name, this story (If I do this one) isn't going to have that much religious reference. Just so you know :3 So anyway first this started as a one-shot idea inspired by a conversation I had with this awesome user called scatteredPhilosopher, right? It was gonna be a bitter sweet thing, and the main character was gonna be Sabo. But then I remembered a picture I saw of a kid Marco using his devil fruit and being all surprised and looking pretty nervous, right before I began writing, and then the one-shot became about him. Then some life stuff happened, and I was a bit upset while writing and some of my 'upset-ness' leaked into this fic and changed up a lot. Arf arf, and that's the story of how this prologue was born~ XD This fic can go two ways, everyone. I can either make it a... rather messed up in my opinion two-shot head canon, or an AU with as many chapters as I'm willing to do. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this, so I decided I'd ask the kind people who take the time to read this, arf arf :,D please tell me what you think! Feedback is always appreciated, arf! As of now the name and summary are for the AU, but thats's only because I haven't thought up one for the two-shot. And I'm really tired right now so sorry if this note seems a bit unenergized, cuz it is =.= I wasn't terribly like this while writing the story itself though so :,D Btw! scatteredPhilsopher, yes; I totally referenced your nickname XP *Falls asleep on keyboard* Oh, and warning: FOR THIS CHAPTER MARCO IS GONNA BE PRETTY OOC. I HAVE A REASON. IT'S EXPLANATION WILL COME FOR BOTH WAYS BUT HOW QUICKLY DEPENDS ON WHICH ONE I DO. ARF. PLEASE KEEP READING AND REVIEW~ (doesn't caps just DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION? XP)**

**Disclaimer: *throws a pillow* I don't own One Piece! Lemmeh sleep =.=**

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"Lemme go, yoi!"

The angry, fearful cry resonated in the empty village alley, but it was quickly drowned out by the much louder jeers of the others. And they payed his words no heed.

He wasn't going to lie to himself and say he wasn't afraid. But he'd seen this coming, hadn't he? This wasn't the first time someone tried... And on at least one other separate occasion, he hadn't managed to escape. He was terrified at this point however. THIS was different. He hadn't even known the children of all people could go so far.

"It's 'posed to heal or something, right?"

"That's what I heard."

"Do it!"

"I wanna see if its true!"

"Hold'em still!"

"NO!"

The blonde child writhed again beneath his captors, trying with all the might he had in his small body to twist away. But the larger kids, normally reluctant to even touch him, merely pushed him to the dusty earth harder.

"I said hold it!" One of the children commanded once again as he lifted the metal shard in his hand higher.

The kid beneath them eyes widened as he glanced back at the glistening, heavy metal hovering uncertainly above his thin leg. They were really going to kill him. He was going to die. The thought made the young blonde snort lightly, a mirthless and dark sound. _Took them long enough. _A boy holding down one of his arms used her other hand to shove his face into the ground.

"Shut up! Hurry up Phil, maybe it'll actually die!"

The blonde swallowed against the dirt in his face, clenching his restrained fists at the confirmation of what they wanted. "Stop...!" ...Stop?

It sounded ridiculous to even his own ears. Eyes glazing over with a sick kind of acceptance, he went still. Because why fight what he's been trying to find? At this point it was a stupid thing to want anyway. It wasn't going to stop. This was it, his inevitable end, the one he knew would come if he wished, hoped and prayed long enough. So in a way, he was welcoming the death this blow would (_pleasepleaseIcantDOTHISANYMORE_) bring, something he'd been too afraid to bring himself. And in other ways he loathed it...

"Don't-"

"It's so noisy, just do it already!" One of the boys barked, flailing a gaunt hand at the boy with the butcher knife. The child apparently found a good spot to insert his weapon, finally stepping closer and swinging the knife toward his mid-back without hesitation.

For that split second the blade was slicing through the air, the blonde went totally lax. Literally nothing went through his mind, nothing was felt, nothing existed within him and he looked almost bored. It was over. He had no reason to freight now.

But his emotionless haze did a 180 once the knife dug into his shoulder blade.

He screamed. It was purely on instinct, the shock of actually being penetrated taking over his mind. Absently, almost randomly, he felt like a pig about to be butchered, and he wondered what they felt at this point. He wondered if the pigs waiting for their deaths could hear their companions squeals.

_'Dying like a pig is better than living like a monster.'_

Jeering at him with words he wasn't really hearing but were beginning to get increasingly loud, the boy twisted the knife, tearing more skin and ripping more flesh and spilling more blood without even a hint of remorse.

The young blonde beneath him screeched again, clawing at the ground. That time was real, high pitched and utterly pained because _damnit_ it hurt!

"If it dies I want something to give to my mum." He heard a boy still holding his arm chirp, however insignificant of a comment. The boy gave the arm a tug, and the white hot agony that shot through him was almost too much. That is, until he felt something crackle to life within him. Warm and gentle, what the children had wanted to test sprang forth.

"Ah!" All of them yelped, including the blonde himself, as they jumped backwards and hightailed it from the blue flames that the monster was emitting. Suddenly left alone, the child was completely still, eyes huge as he looked slowly over his shoulder.

The fire was dancing on his wound lightly, welcoming him to watch. The child's eyes widened as he did so, a million thoughts all saying one thing racing through his head and he couldnt even breath.

The fire made him feel anything but welcome.

_'N-no! Go away! Goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway-_'

It was a menace, the thing that ruined everything.

_'TurnoffgoawaygoawaygoawaygoawayNOW-'_

It was the embodiment of everything that was pain in his life.

_'TURNOFFGOAWAYGETAWAYSTOPITSTOPNO-'_

It was, for lack of better words, his hell. His eye twitched once.

Finally shoving himself to his feet, he ran at full force, hyperventilating as he tried to flee his fear. He didn't care where he went, as long as it stopped everything would be alright again. But nothing was alright now because he could still feel it and it _would not go away._

After what felt like an endless amount of running without a known destination, eventually his frail little legs couldn't carry him any longer. He tripped and fell breathlessly by a cliff, quivering.

Weeds and rocks were scattered haphazardly around the overhanging earth, either jabbing under him or caressing his face. Spent, the blonde sighed and sat up slowly. He reached a hand behind him, feeling his back.

It was gone. It was fine now. Everything was ok. Right? Yes. He was ok. He was ok now... The blonde took in a deep breath, trying to calm his utterly frayed-

"Oi, you!"

His eyes widened and he didn't think.

As the warm hand made contact with his shoulder he launched his own back immediately, gripping his current 'attackers' arm and tugging him down with all the strength he could muster.

Caught off guard the other was pulled over his shoulder easily and slammed to the rocky earth. The blonde wasted no time scrambling over and straddling the other's body, putting his hands around a thin neck, and giving his best dirty look as he squeezed.

"You're going to die for your failure."

His voice was a malicious whisper, sounding evil and insane, but he didn't care. This is what they got for following him, what they got for getting his hopes-

Wait.

Unruly red-brown hair, dirty yellow oversized foulard, large brown eyes that looked at him like he really _was_ a monster... _Shit!_

"...!"

There was a sudden _crack_ sound beneath them, and they forgot to breath a second. The blonde's eyes flew to the cliff's edge they were pretty much banging on, and the drop into the deadly no man's land below. But the other second he took to fully realize the situation was a second too many.

The rock gave. Cursing the blonde child clutched the shirt of the one beneath him tightly, rocketing a hand to grab at the earth still actually attached to the cliff. It was a failed attempt though, because at the moment his hand gripped it it crumbled.

Instead of falling to oblivion however, he landed on the edge of a lower ledge he hadn't even known existed before. Skidding a bit and dazed, his hands loosened for a small, repercussive moment.

The brief yelp of surprise was the only thing that alerted him to his mistake. Fatigue deciding now was the time to catch up to him, he forced himself to turn his head to stare over the edge.

All he saw was eyes giving him a look of pure fear disappear into darkness.

Then all was silent. For a time he didn't count, the blonde was completely still, waiting and watching for what had to come back. That didn't just happen. That didn't just happen. That didn't just...

The wind blew through his dirt laden hair, tousling it as if causally saying it did and he caused it.

...What has he _done?_

"...Thatch?"

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**Puppy's Post It: QAQ I dunno what's wrong with me, I'm sorry, this prologue went through a lot of emotions *bows* u.u Arf! So what do you think peeps? Did you like it? Or do you think I should've been the one chucked off a cliff (btw won't say what's underneath the cliff until I'm sure on which story I'm gonna do)? Please tell me! You're opinions really matter! Arf arf, and this is just a prologue so obviously things won't seem completely explained so try to bare with me ;.; I suck at writing this kind of stuff, so please leave a review about what you thought of the writing too, arf. You get doggy biscuits! But for either one, don't expect an update any time soon. ...Ugh, I feel so tired and dehydrated right now, I bet I missed tons of mistakes =.= Maybe that's why this note feels tiring typing... I'll probs edit it or the story later, but I'm gonna stop now, maybe go drink some water then head to bed. Please say what kind of story you would like this to be continued as if you're interested, you get extra biscuits, and goodnight~ REVIEWS MAKE ME A VERY HAPPY PUP BTW CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW ;,D **


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